Clover had her first surgery in November 2010 to repair her pectineus muscle to increase the range of motion in her right leg. She had hip replacement surgery on her right hip in January 2011, a left hip replacement in March 2011 and in February 2012 she required additional hip replacement surgery in her right hip to replace faulty equipment.

Clover is no ordinary daughter. The pit bull mixed puppy was adopted when she was 8 weeks old by Morris after being brought to Park Avenue Animal Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Morris, a veterinary technician, said Clover’s injuries were one of the worst cases of abuse of dogs she had ever seen in her 20-year career.

“When she came to the office she was so badly mangled, there was no way it could have been an accident,” Morris said. “She was either being used as bait to train pit bulls, or someone was trying to train her to fight.”

Clover’s original owner brought her to the clinic claiming the dog was injured in a fight and wanted the veterinarian to repair her for breeding purposes.

“She had extensive damage to both legs, her guts were hanging out and she needed vulva reconstructive surgery,” Morris said. “Breeding should have been the last thing on the owner’s mind. From the first day she was brought to the clinic, I took her home with me at night to give her hydrotherapy every two hours and to try to help her eat. Her stomach was so messed up it took many months before she was able to eat like a normal dog.”

Clover’s original owner never returned to the clinic and never paid anything on the bill.

“When we were finally able to contact him, he told us to euthanize her,” Morris said. “I decided to adopt her and find her the best possible care.”

The best possible care in veterinary surgery turns out to be right here in Russellville.

Dr. Terry Dew at Azzore Clinic is the only board certified small animal surgical specialist in Arkansas. He has clinics in Russellville, Springdale and Memphis, Tenn.

“Dr. Dew is amazing,” Morris said. “He comes to Memphis twice a month, so we were able to do consults there and then come to Russellville for the surgeries.”

The initial surgery in 2010 was to help Clover regain motion in her right leg. The surgery in February of this year and yesterday are a result of faulty equipment.

“Because the hardware was faulty,” Morris said. “Dr. Dew had to graft bones from other areas to build up the socket correctly before reinstalling a new hip replacement.”

“There have been over 10,000 hips from that manufacturer put in worldwide,” Dew said. “Clover is the only one ever reported that was faulty. It happens, but you hate to see it happen, and Clover is such a sweet dog.”

The staff at the clinic referred to Clover as affectionate and always happy.

“Most of the dogs are air kissers,” Jennifer Horn said. “But Clover licks you all over the face. Her tail is always wagging even though she knows why she’s here.”

Clover has never been allowed to run and jump and play like other puppies.

“She’s always been on a sort of “bed rest” for puppies,” Morris said. “I take her with me to work so I know she’s in her cage and not trying to play. Sometimes people visit the clinic just to see her. She’s kind of famous in our area.”

Clover had surgery Monday, which included bone grafts and hip fracture repair. Morris said Clover will be on “bed rest” for an additional four months before the final surgery to complete the hip replacement process.

“Clover has the sweetest disposition, and she is a real fighter, Morris said. “I know people think it’s crazy to spend this kind of money on a dog, but to me she is so much more, and I’m glad I was able to give her a fighting chance at a normal life.”

That crazy amount of money Morris referred adds up to $18,000 and Clover still has one more surgery.

Morris said Dr. Dew and his staff have treated Clover better than many human patients are treated at hospitals.

“At most veterinary clinics, there is no staff at night,” Morris said. “Someone is at Dr. Dew’s 24 hours a day. They send updates about surgeries via Twitter and Facebook. Their dedication to animals is unparalleled.”

Dew moved to Arkansas in 1995 and has spent the last 17 years providing services unavailable to pet owners before.

“The equipment at Azzore Veterinary Specialist is technologically more advanced than equipment in many hospitals,” Drew said. “We have a CT scan machine that can deliver results in 11 seconds. That type of technology is only available at our clinic. The machine is considered mobile because it is meant to be used in head trauma cases or pediatrics. It is small enough to take directly to the patient.”

Dew said working with animals is especially rewarding, but has one particular draw back.

“The animals all want to get better,” Dew said. “But they don’t have the ability to self-restrict after surgery. They immediately want to be up and around.”

Even though it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, or Clover Day as Morris called it, Morris is already focused on Christmas.

“She will be almost three years old before she has the opportunity to play like a normal puppy,” Morris said. “Hopefully this Christmas I’ll be able to stuff her stocking with toys she can actually play with.

Clover is truly a special patient! Tammy has done an amazing job trying to help her have a normal life. I would like to point out, however, that Clover is not a pit bull mix... she is the real deal, and could easily be the poster child for everything that is RIGHT (and that we never hear, unfortunately) about pit bulls. You could never hope to meet a sweeter, more gentle natured dog -- even after everything she has been through. We're rooting for a full recovery and a normal life for Clover. No other Christmas present could compare for Clover or Tammy.